Haley Aides Under Fire For Failed “Rally”

Two of S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley’s top campaign aides are facing criticism for the pitifully small crowd that attended the governor’s 2014 reelection rally in Greenville, S.C. this week.

Haley’s campaign manager (and former chief of staff) Tim Pearson is getting most of the grief over the sparse turnout at the “rally”- which featured appearances by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

“He’s already not well-liked by the RNC,” one national source tells FITS. “This debacle won’t help. It’s humiliating. You’ve got three governors – all of them national stars in their own right – standing next to you on a stage. And that’s the crowd you turn out?”

Pearson – who nearly blew a 21-point lead in Haley’s 2010 election – was an unmitigated disaster as the governor’s chief of staff. He’s also been thoroughly unimpressive since re-taking the reins of Haley’s political operation last fall.

Looks like the hits keep-a-coming …

Also singled out for his poor performance in “rallying” the troops on Haley’s behalf? Kurt Pickhardt, the governor’s political director.

According to several sources Pickhardt tried to “bully” many rank-and-file Republican operatives into attending this event – leaving a bad taste in more than a few mouths. Previously, Pickhardt has been accused of threatening Republican party activists for posting content to their Facebook pages from FITSNews and other critics of Haley.

“He’s just an ass,” one operative told us. “I heard they had sixty people there? I’m surprised they had that many with him making calls.”